Multi-fluid, high pressure, modular pump

ABSTRACT

A multi-fluid, high pressure pump with a modular configuration, capable of converting hydraulic power from a source may be capable of pumping nearly any type of fluid. The modular configuration may provide for individual sub-pump modules to be independently controlled by being individually network addressed, which allows for disabling a sub-pump module while continuing to operate the remaining sub-pump modules. In an embodiment, control of the sub-pump modules may be recomputed by evenly spacing a remaining number of sub-pump modules along a single period of a sine wave. Spare sub-pump modules may be included on a pump, thereby enable a spare sub-pump module to be added to the operable sub-pump modules so that full power of the pump may be available even after a sub-pump module fails.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

High-pressure pumps, such as sub-sea pumps, have to operate in extremelydifficult environments under pressures and temperatures that are farmore harsh than pumps designed to operate at atmospheric or surfacepressures. As understood in the art of deep sea drilling, in the eventthat the pump has a failure, the pump has to be raised to the surfacefor repair or replacement. Such repair or replacement can be expensivenot only for the reparation and replacement, but also as a result ofhaving to shut down operations, such as drilling or explorationoperations, at which the high-pressure pump is being used. Other pumpsthat operate in less harsh environments may suffer similar failures andrepercussions, but high-pressure pumps are often used in ways that thetime and cost to stop operations, repair, and/or replace the pumps canbe high.

Many subsea tools/installations and/or operations are operated withfluids, pressure, or flow that a standard work class Remote OperatedVehicle (ROB) or other standard hydraulic power sources is not capableof supplying or use. Traditionally, operating deep sea tools have beenoperated with custom-made ROV skids/backpacks, valve-packs, boosters,relief valves, etc. The total package typically includes of many movingparts that are exposed to fluids and usage in which the moving parts arenot designed to operate or even be exposed. As a result, the deep seatools increase a risk of spill and breakdown. As such, there is a needfor a pump that limits exposure of moving parts and supporting equipmentthat are not exposed to environmental conditions and is more resilientto avoid having to be shut down or replaced in the event of a failure ofa part of the pump.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To reduce or eliminate a situation where a sub-sea pump has to berepaired or replaced during production operations, a multi-fluid, highpressure pump with a modular configuration, capable of convertinghydraulic power from a source, capable of pumping nearly any type offluid (e.g., seawater, glycol, hydraulic oil etc. or contaminatedfluid), and that allows for self-repair and reconfiguration may beprovided. In an embodiment, the modular pump includes individual modularpistons or sub-pump modules (sub-pumps) that may be mechanically,electrically, and fluidly connected to other modular pistons so as toform a multi-piston pump. Cavities within a housing of the sub-pumps maybe fluid filled, thereby being able to sustain deep sea or subseapressures. Each of the sub-pumps may be network addressed, andcontrolled by a control signal from a local or remote controller thatcauses each of the pistons to be activated based on a sinusoidal curve.For example, if the pump has eight modular pistons, then each of thepistons may be programmatically spaced for controlling stroke timing at45 degrees apart from one another. Different numbers of pistons may beprogrammed to have different spacing or timing.

In the event of a failure of one of the sub-pumps, such as a failure ofa seal of the piston, the associated sub-pump may be considered disabledby a controller and the remaining sub-pumps may be realigned for stroketiming purposes along the sinusoidal curve. By removing the failedpiston by the controller, the pump may be weakened in terms of pumpingpressure, but be capable of operating without repair or replacement(i.e., the pump itself is not fully disabled). In an embodiment, thepump may be configured with one or more spare sub-pumps, therebyenabling the pump to turn on and configure the one or more sparesub-pumps as part of the pump operations relative to the other sub-pumps(i.e., in physical and timing relationship). By having sparesub-pump(s), the loss of a number of sub-pumps that are the same orfewer than the number of spare sub-pumps allows the pump to continueoperating at maximum capacity. As an example, if eight sub-pumps areused to perform pumping and two sub-pumps are configured on the pump asspares, up to two of the eight sub-pumps may fail and the pump maycontinue operating at full eight sub-pump capacity. In an embodiment,all ten modular sub-pumps may be utilized when initially deployed, andin the event of a sub-pump failure, that sub-pump may be taken offlineand the remaining sub-pumps may cause a controller to reconfigurecontrol communications (e.g., determine updated relative positioning ofthe sub-pumps) such that operation of the pump continues. However, bymaintaining spare sub-pumps, essentially new sub-pumps may be added toreplace failed sub-pumps.

A pump may include a plurality of sub-pump modules configured tophysically and electrically connect to one another. A controller may beconfigured to (i) determine a number of sub-pump modules that areconnected to one another, (ii) compute a control signal based on anumber of sub-pump modules that are connected to one another, and (iii)communicate the control signal to the sub-pump modules to cause thesub-pump modules to pump fluid in a coordinated manner.

One embodiment of a method of operating a pump may include determining anumber of sub-pump modules that are connected to one another. A controlsignal may be computed based on the number of sub-pump modules that aredetermined to be connected to one another. The control signal may becommunicated to the sub-pump modules to cause the sub-pump modules topump fluid in a coordinated manner.

An embodiment of a method of manufacturing a pump may include aligning afirst sub-pump module with a second sub-pump module, where the first andsecond sub-pump modules including first and second respective housings.A first fluid connector member attached to the first housing of thefirst sub-pump module may be connected to a second fluid connectormember attached to the second housing of a second sub-pump module,thereby enabling fluid to flow between the first and second housings ofthe first and second sub-pump modules. A first electrical connectormember of the first sub-pump module may be connected to a secondelectrical connector member of the second sub-pump module, therebyenabling electrical signals to be communicated between the first andsecond sub-pump modules.

One embodiment of a method of operating a pump may include controllingmultiple sub-pump modules to operate in a coordinated manner. Inresponse to determining that one of the sub-pump modules has failed, (i)disabling the failed sub-pump module, (ii) activating a spare sub-pumpmodule, and (iii) configuring the spare sub-pump module physically andelectrically relative to other sub-pump modules that are stilloperational to operate the spare sub-pump module and other sub-pumpmodules that are still operational in the coordinated manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described indetail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which areincorporated by reference herein and wherein:

FIG. 1A-1E are a set of illustrations of an illustrative multi-fluid,high-pressure modular pump;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an illustrative pump in which a singlesub-pump is being removed from the pump;

FIGS. 3A-3E are illustrations of a disassembly process for disassemblingthe pump of FIG. 1 so as to remove a sub-pump for replacement;

FIGS. 4A-4D are illustrations of different views of an illustrativesub-pump or sub-pump section;

FIGS. 5A-5C are illustrations of a primary connection module or sectionof a primary side of the pump of FIG. 1 depicting connecting members forcommunicating fluid and electrical signals when operating the pump;

FIGS. 6A-6C of a secondary side of the pump of FIG. 1 depictingconnecting members for communicating fluid and electrical signals whenoperating the pump;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are illustrations of a pump with sub-pumps that areindependently controlled;

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an illustrative process for operating amodular pump; and

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an illustrative process for manufacturing apump that may include aligning a first sub-pump module with a secondsub-pump module.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With regard to FIG. 1A, an illustration of an illustrative multi-fluid,high-pressure modular pump 100 is shown. The modular pump 100 mayinclude a pump section 102 along with a primary connection section 104and secondary connection section 106. The pump section 102 may includemultiple sub-pumps 108 a-108 h (collectively 108) that are used to pumpfluid. As shown, the pump section 102 includes eight sub-pumps 108, butit should be understood that two or more sub-pumps may be utilized toprovide the functionality of a modular pump in accordance with theprinciples described herein. Each of the sub-pumps 108 may be connectedto one another, as further described herein. The number of sub-pumps tobe used is generally based on an amount and type fluid to be pumped, andavailable power (e.g., hydraulic power), and output needs (e.g., flow,pressure). The pump 100 may be pressure compensated by inclusion ofinternal fluid, such as oil, so as to be suitable for use at 4000 meterwater depth. For dual media pumping possibilities, the primaryconnection section module 104 and secondary connection module 106 may beused.

In operation, the modular pump 100 may be configured as a dual mediapump, where the pump 100 may be provided supply oil and auxiliary (aux)oil that are separated, thereby enabling two completely independentcircuits with separate flow and pressure controls that may be selectedand/or controlled remotely. It should be understood that the pump 100may alternatively be configured with one circuit or more than twocircuits. The supply oil and aux oil may be the same or different type,and the sub-pumps 108 that are being operated by the respective oils mayoperate independently at the same or different speeds and pressures.

The modular pump 100 may be configured to convert hydraulic power from asource, such as a hydraulic power unit (HPU) or work class remotelyoperated vehicle (ROV) over to a secondary media that can be nearly anytype of fluid. Because hydraulic power is used to drive a certain numberof sub-pumps 108, the modular pump 100 may output a certain amount offorce to pump an external fluid. If the number of sub-pumps 108 changes,then a proportional amount of power for pumping the external fluid ischanged, as further described herein.

With regard to FIG. 1B, an illustration of a top view of the pump 100 ofFIG. 1A depicting different illustrative sections of the pump 100 isshown. The pump section 102 is formed of multiple pumps 108 that aresandwiched between the primary connection section 104 and secondaryconnection section 106. The sub-pumps 108 are modular, and may beindividually controlled, thereby enabling the pump 100 to continueoperating, albeit at a lower power level, as further described herein.

In an embodiment, each of the sub-pumps 108 may have control electronicsthat have different electronic network addresses, such as Ethernetaddresses. A remote controller (not shown) may be configured to controloperation of each sub-pump 108 using the respective network addresses.Control signals may address each of the respective sub-pumps 108 tocoordinate operation thereof (e.g., evenly spaced in a sine wave mannerrelative to one another). The sine wave may have a frequency that thesub-pumps are able to operate. In the event of a failure of one of thesub-pumps 108, then the controller may stop controlling operation of thefailed sub-pump and re-coordinate the other operable sub-pumps 108,thereby enabling the pump 108 to continue operation. A determination asto whether a sub-pump has a failure may include determining whether asensed parameter, such as input pressure or output pressure, is outsideof a specification (e.g., higher or lower than a predetermined pressurevalue or range).

In an embodiment, the primary connection section 104 may operates as acontrol module for the multi-fluid high pressure pump 100, where theprimary connection section 104 may (i) measure input/output pressure and(ii) calculate speed and position of the sub-pumps 108 so as to outputdrive signals to control the sub-pumps 108. In an embodiment, theprimary connection section 104 may control up to 12 sub-pumps 108 plusone end section. A controller of the primary connection section 104 mayinclude a smart feature that senses (i) how many sub-pumps 108 areconnected, and (ii) if a secondary connection section 106 is installedwith the pump 100.

In an embodiment, the pump 100 may have the certain specifications foroperation within high pressure locations, such as sub-sea locations.

Electrical Data Nom. Voltage 20 . . . 30 VDC Nom. Power 10.6 W Nom.Current 0.44 A Max. Power 250 W Max. Current 10.5 A CommunicationEthernet or RS-232

Hydraulic Data Number of function lines Depending on configuration, 1 or2 output possible Pump Description Dual media pump, supply oil and auxoil is separated. Seals between supply oil and aux oil are continuallymonitored, any potential leak will give a warning/alarm. Maximum SupplyBAR 275 BAR pressure (PSI) (4000 PSI) Maximum Operating BAR 275 BAR(PSI) (4000 PSI) Max Return Line BAR 120 BAR Pressure (PSI) (1740 PSI)Maximum comp. pressure BAR 0.7 BAR (PSI) (10.15 PSI) Aux Max pressureBAR 350 BAR (PSI) (5076 PSI) Aux Max return BAR 7 BAR to −28 BAR (underpressure, (PSI) suction operation subsea) (101.5 PSI to −406 PSI) SupplyFluid Hydraulic oil 22/32, tellus oil or Royal Purple Aux FluidsHydraulic oil, Water-Glycol, seawater**

Section Performance data 1.36 Ratio Section Input (other ratios Maxinput pressure 275 bar possible) Max input flow  50 l/m Output Maxoutput pressure 350 bar Max output flow  35 l/m 1.36 Ratio 8 Inputcylinder pump Max input pressure 275 bar (other assemblies Max inputflow 400 l/m possible) Output Max output pressure 350 bar Max outputflow 280 l/m

It should be understood that the specifications are illustrative, andthat other specifications for electrical, hydraulic, and pressurespecifications may be provided by the pump 100.

With regard to FIG. 1C, an illustration of the pump of FIG. 1A showingillustrative lift points 110 a and 110 b (collectively 110) for liftingthe pump is shown. The lift points 110 are mounted to the primary andsecondary connection sections 104 and 106, respectively. The lift points110 are disposed in opposing positions, and provide for balancing of thepump 100 when evenly lifted by the lift points 110. It should beunderstood that the lift points 110 are illustrative, and thatalternative configurations of lift points are also contemplated.

With regard to FIG. 1D, an illustration of the pump 100 of FIG. 1Adepicting connection members of the primary connection section 104 forcommunicating fluid and electrical signals when operating the pump isshown. The connection members of the primary connection section 104 mayinclude an electric connector 112 for communicating electrical power andsignal communications. An electric connector 114 for daisy chain andflow meter communications may also be positioned on the primaryconnection section 104. A pressure connector 116 may be used for aliquid media 2 to enter into the sub-pumps 108. A compensator connector118 may provide for compensation of pressure on components and cavitieswithin the primary and secondary connection sections 104 and 106 andsub-pumps 108. A pressure connector 120 may enable liquid media 1 toenter into the sub-pumps 108. A return connector 122 may enable a returnof liquid media. A seal drain connector 124 may be provided for drainingmedia 1. A suction connector 126 for extracting media 1 from the pump100 may be provided. The various connectors may be configured to supportfluid types, electrical signals, or otherwise under the pressures andtemperatures in which the pump 100 may be utilized.

With regard to FIG. 1E, an illustration of the pump 100 of FIG. 1Adepicting connection members of the secondary connection section 106 forcommunicating fluid and electrical signals when operating the pump isshown. The connection members of the secondary connection section 106may include an electric connector 128 for measuring an externalflowmeter 1 and electric connector 130 for measuring an externalflowmeter 2. A seal drain connector for media 2 may be provided. Apressure connector 134 may enable liquid media 1 to enter into thesub-pumps 108. A return connector 122 may enable a return of liquidmedia 2. A compensator connector 138 may provide for compensation ofpressure within the secondary connection section 106 and one or more ofthe sub-pumps 108. A pressure connector 140 for media 2 may be used tosupport liquid media 2 to enter the sub-pumps 108. A section connector142 for suctioning out media 2 from the sub-pumps 108 is also provided.The various connectors may be configured to support fluid types,electrical signals, or otherwise under the pressures and temperatures inwhich the pump 100 may be utilized.

With regard to FIG. 2, an illustration of an illustrative pump 200 withmodular sub-pumps in which a single sub-pump is being removed is shown.The pump 200 includes a pump section 202, primary connection section204, and secondary connection section 206. Sub-pumps 208 a-208 h(collectively 208) may be individually removed from the pump 200 byseparating the primary connection section 204 and secondary connectionsection 206 from the pump 200. The pump 200 may be disposed on a spacerplate 210 that may be part of a chassis 211 that supports the sub-pumps208. Rods 212 a-212 d (collectively 212), which may be threaded, may beused to align the sub-pumps 208. Various fastening hardware, such asnuts and bolts, may be removed from the primary connection section 204and secondary connection 206 to separate those components from the pump200, which enables the rods 212 to be extracted from the sub-pumps 208,so that an individual sub-pump 208 e may be separated from neighboringsub-pumps 208 d and 208 f by disconnecting connectors 214 from aneighboring sub-pump 208 f. Another connector 216 that may supportelectrical communications, mechanical connection, and fluidcommunications may also be disconnected from neighboring sub-pump 208.Although not shown, a corresponding connector to the connector 216 maybe disposed on the sub-pump 208 f to enable electrical signals andcompensation fluid to pass between the sub-pumps 208 e and 208 f.

The fluid communications may include pressure compensation fluid, suchas oil, that may be used to fill one or more cavity of the sub-pump toprevent high pressures in a high-pressure environment in which the pump200 is to operate from crushing the cavities and/or components therein.Once the sub-pump 208 e is removed, another sub-pump may replace thesub-pump 208 e or the pump 200 may be reconfigured with only seven ofthe sub-pumps 208 by connecting sub-pump 208 f and 208 d. Thereafter,operation of the sub-pumps 208 may be reconfigured electronically by acontroller operating in the primary connection section 106 that mayautomatically determine a total number and relative position ofremaining sub-pumps 208.

The primary connection section 204 and secondary connection section 206may include respective manifolds 218 and 220 that includes cavitiesthrough which fluids and electrical conductors may pass to enable one ormore fluids and electrical communication signals to be supplied orotherwise communicated to the sub-pumps 208. The fluids may includefluids under high pressure to operate the sub-pumps 208, and theelectrical conductors of connectors 222, 224, and 226 may provide forboth control signaling and telemetry data collected by sensors (e.g.,pressure sensors, flow rate sensors, temperature sensors, positionsensors, etc.) to be monitored remotely.

With regard to FIGS. 3A-3E, illustrations of a disassembly process fordisabling an illustrative pump 300 so as to remove a sub-pump forreplacement are shown. The process may start at Step 1, where the pump300 that is fully assembled is shown. The pump 300 may include a primaryconnection section 302 a and secondary connection section 302 b. Analternative configuration of the pump may include just the primaryconnection section 302 a or more than two connection sections. Theprimary and secondary connection sections 302 a and 302 b defineopposing ends of the pump between which a pump section 304 formed ofsub-pumps 304 a-304 h (collectively 304). The first step of thedisassembly process is shown at Step 1, where nuts 306 a or otherfastening members at the primary connection section 302 a that connectto rods 308 (see FIG. 3B) may be loosened. Nuts 306 b at the secondaryconnection section 302 b may also be loosened and separated from therods 308. The rods 308 may be connected to brackets that are attached tothe sub-pumps 304.

At Step 2 in FIG. 3B, once the nuts 306 a and 306 b are removed, theprimary and secondary connection sections 302 a and 302 b may be pulledor slid outward axially along the rods 308. The rods 308, which mayengage the sub-pumps 304 to provide support therefor, may be withdrawnpartially or completely so that a sub-pump, in this case sub-pump 304 d,that may be damaged may be removed.

In Step 3 of FIG. 3C, the sub-pumps 304 a-304 c are shown to be pulledaway from connection or alignment members that may extend betweensub-pump 304 d, and sub-pumps 304 e-304 h are shown to be pulled awayfrom sub-pump 304 d in the opposite direction. Sub-pumps 304 c and 304 emay be separated a distance sufficient to enable clearance of connectionand/or alignment members 310 a and 310 b between the sub-pumps 304 c/304d and 304 d/304 e to enable removal of sub-pump 304 d without contactingsub-pumps 304 c or 304 d or associated hardware, as shown at Step 4 inFIG. 3D. The connection and/or alignment members 310 a and 310 b may beused for fluid flow of media 1 and/or media 2 used to operate the pump300. In an embodiment, non-fluid functional connection members (notshown), guides, or other alignment mechanisms, may be utilized toconnect or align sub-pumps 304 that are adjacent to one another.

With regard to FIG. 3E, Step 5 may include multiple processes, includingreplacing the damaged sub-pump, in this case sub-module 304 d, with areplacement sub-pump module 304 d′. Because the sub-pumps 304 may havethe same or similar configurations, and be individually and remotelyaddressable and controllable via communications signals, the sub-pump304 d′ may simply be positioned where the damaged sub-pump 304 d waspreviously positioned. That is, no pre-configuration of the sub-pump 304d′ is needed as the sub-pump 304 d′ may be configured and reconfiguredfor control purposes during operation or in a set-up process. Once thereplacement sub-pump 304 d′ is in the position of the removed sub-pump304 d, a reverse of Step 4 through Step 1 may be performed such that thesub-pumps 304 c and 304 e are engaged with sub-pump 304 d′ by engagingthe connection and alignment members 310 a and 310 b, the rods 308 arereengaged with the sub-pumps 304 a-304 c, 304 d′, and 304 e-304 h andtightened using the nuts 306 a and 306 b. The hydraulics and electricpower connections may be reengaged, and power may be turned on.

Because the pump 300 and controller, either local or remote, may beconfigured to be self-configuring (e.g., provide identifiers ofsub-pumps 304 and positioning thereof), communications by the controllerto control the pump may automatically determine number of sub-pumps 304and physical alignment of each relative to one another, thereby enablingcontrol signals to timely control operation of each of the sub-pumps304. It should be understood that if more or fewer sub-pumps 304 areprovided (e.g., 6, 7, 9, or 10 sub-pumps), then pump 300 may beconfigured or self-configured through communications signals, such asnetwork address requests, with each of the sub-pumps 304. As thesub-pumps 304 may be configured in a serial manner, the positions of thesub-pumps 304 may be determined by inspecting an order of networkaddresses added to a data packet, set of data packets, or othercommunications protocol, as understood in the art. In an embodiment, aserial bus, such as a controller area network (CAN) bus or any othercommunications bus, may be utilized.

With regard to FIGS. 4A-4D, illustrations of different views of anillustrative sub-pump or pump section 400 are shown. With regard to FIG.4A, an illustration of an illustrative sub-pump 400 is shown as acomplete unit. The sub-pump 400 may include an electronics and valvesection 402 and a piston section 404. The electronics and valve section402 may include a local motherboard or printed circuit board (PCB),controller electronics (e.g., processor) disposed on the PCB,communications electronics, and/or any other electronics used to supportcontrol and collection and distribution of telemetry data of thesub-pump 400. Also within the electronics and valve section 402 may bean electronically controlled valve that is used to control the flow offluid to drive a piston within the piston section 404. The sub-pumpmodule 400 may be controlled by the pump motherboard located in theelectronics and valve section 402. In controlling the sub-pump module400, the motherboard may be configured with a controller to controlspeed and/or position of a piston (see FIG. 4B) in the piston section404 of the sub-pump 400.

In an embodiment, the sub-pump 400 may include a connector 406 thatsupports multiple connection functions, including (i) an electricalconnection function and (ii) a fluid connection function. The electricalconnection function may provide for power and data communications to bemade between sub-pumps, and the fluid connection function may providefor compensation fluid. The compensation fluid may be oil or otherviscous material used to fill cavities of the sub-pump 400 to protectthe sub-pump 400 from being crushed when at depths under the ocean or inother high-pressure locations. The connector 406 may support serialcommunications or parallel communications, and may be a standard orproprietary communications bus. In enabling fluid communications, theconnector 406 may mate with an opposing connector from an adjacentsub-pump, primary connection section (for example, 104 of FIG. 1), orsecondary connection section (for example, 106 of FIG. 1).

A centralized or remote controller, which may be positioned within theprimary connection section 104 of FIG. 1 that is in communication witheach of the sub-pumps via the communications bus of the connector 406 orotherwise may cause each of the sub-pumps to be coordinated relative toone another. The sub-pump 400 may be configured with a closed loopcontroller that is executed by a controller or processor on themotherboard, and used to regulate position of the piston (see FIG. 4B)at a given speed. A pressure sensor (see FIG. 4C) may constantly monitora seal status (e.g., leak or no leak), and report the status of the sealback to a monitoring system inclusive of a graphical user interface(GUI) that may display a number of different parameters, includingpiston speed, piston position, piston pressure, seal status (e.g.,leakage), and so forth, thereby providing an operator with an indicationof the various parameters along with a notification, warning, andeventual alert or alarm if the leakage increases. In an embodiment, thealarm may cause the pump to automatically shut down or be takenout-of-service by issuing a command to the motherboard of the sub-pump400. In an embodiment, an alarm signal may cause and the sub-pump 400 toautomatically, semi-automatically, or manually via a remote controllerbe taken out of service. The pump may automatically compensate for amissing sub-pump by synchronizing and adjusting the speed of theremaining sub-pumps.

With regard to FIG. 4B, a side, sectional view of the sub-pump sectionor sub-pump 400 of FIG. 4A that depicts internal components of thesub-pump 400 is shown. A proportional valve 408 may be disposed withinthe electronics and valve section 402 that is controlled to enablehydraulic control of a piston 410 within the pump section 404. It shouldbe understood that other types of valves, such as solenoid or servovalves may be utilized, as well. A position sensor 412 may be used tosense position of the piston 410 so as to provide positional feedback toa motherboard within the electronics and valve section 402 of thesub-pump 400. Primary (input/power) side fluid 414 may pass throughvarious apertures of the sub-pump 400, and may be received via a primaryconnection section 104. Secondary (output) side fluid 416 may passthrough various apertures of the sub-pump 400 for outputting the fluidfrom the sub-pump 400. It should be understood that the fluid 414 and416 is different (or at least positioned in different locations) thancompensation oil used to counter pressure within a high pressureoperation.

The electrical and fluid connector 406 is shown to be disposed on asidewall 420 of the sub-pump 400. The connector 406 may be configuredwith electrical conductors to conduct electrical power and data signalsfor use by the sub-pump 400. That is, electrical power may be used topower electronics and electromechanical devices, such as theproportional valve 408, on the sub-pump 400, and the data signals may beused to control operation of the sub-pump 400, including opening andclosing the valve 408, communicating data for controlling operation(e.g., communicating timing, position, speed, notification, or otherinformation) and providing telemetry data of sensed operation andfailure situations to and from the sub-pump 400. The data signals may beserial data or parallel data using any communications protocol, asunderstood in the art. In an embodiment, the connection may beconfigured to operate as part of a CAN bus. Other data buses may beutilized, as well.

With regard to FIG. 4C, an illustration of internal components of thevalve section 402 of the sub-pump 400 of FIG. 4A is shown. A leakpressure sensor 422 may be used to sense leak pressure of the valve 408of the sub-pump 400. In particular, the leak pressure sensor 422 is usedto monitor seals between supply oil and auxiliary oil in the sub-pump400, and any potential leak sensed by the leak pressure sensor 422produces a warning/alarm signal. A valve printed circuit board (PCB) 424may be used to control operation of the valve 408. In controllingoperation of the valve 408, circuitry (e.g., digital and/or analogcircuits) may be used to control valve position that controls fluid flowand fluid direction that controls operation of a piston (see FIG. 4D) ofthe sub-pump 400.

With regard to FIG. 4D, a side (opposite side of FIG. 4B), sectionalview of the sub-pump 400 of FIG. 4A that depicts internal components ofthe sub-pump 400 is shown. The valve 408 is shown to be connected to twosides, an A side and a B side for enabling fluid to be directed to drivethe piston 410. A position sensor 412 may have a position sensor arm 426that is part of or added to the piston 410 to measure position of thepiston 410. It should be understood that alternative configurations ofthe sub-pump 400 may be utilized to provide the same or similarfunctionality, and that the embodiment shown herein is illustrative.

With regard to FIGS. 5A-5C, illustrations of a primary connection moduleor section 104 of a primary side of the pump of FIG. 1 depictingconnection members for communicating fluid and electrical signals whenoperating the pump are shown. The primary connection module 104 may beconfigured with a control module of the pump 100, and be configured tomeasure input/output pressures, and calculate speed and position of thesub-pump modules, such as sub-pump modules 108, to produce output flowand pressure of the pump 100.

The primary connection section 104 may include a controller 502positioned on a motherboard or PCB that may be configured to control upto 12 sub-pumps plus a secondary connection section 106. The controller502 may be configured to automatically sense (i) how many sub-pumps 108(FIG. 1) are connected, and (ii) if a secondary end section 106 isinstalled in the pump 100. The controller 502 may include a processingunit and other electronics (not shown) that may be configured tocommunicate with and control or coordinate operation of the sub-pumps108. For example, the controller 502 may be configured to generate acontrol signal that establishes timing for each of the sub-pumps of eachof the sub-pumps 108 to stroke using a proportional value, for example.The controller signal may be sinusoidal signal, and specific values thatare equally spaced along the sinusoidal signal may be used to controlthe sub-pumps. For example, if a pump has eight sub-pumps 108, as shownin FIG. 1, values that are spaced along the sinusoidal signal every 360degrees/8 sub-pumps=45 degrees may be used to drive the cylinders of thesub-pumps 108. If the number of sub-pumps 108 changes due to a sub-pumpfailing, for example, then the controller 502 of the primary connectionsection 104 may automatically recalculate the control signals or datapoints on the sinusoidal signal by dividing 360 degrees by the number ofsub-pumps (e.g., 7 sub-pumps) so that the control signals remain equallyspaced and the pump operates normally, albeit with less power.

With regard to FIG. 5B, an illustration of a bottom view of the primaryconnection section 104 is shown. The primary connection section 104 mayinclude an aux return pressure sensor 504, supply pressure sensor 506,return pressure sensor 508, and aux pressure sensor 510. The controller502 may receive pressure signals from each of pressure sensors 504, 506,508, and 510 to monitor the pressure of the fluids being used fordriving the sub-pumps 108. The pressure signals may be processed by thecontroller 502 to control operation of values and motion of pistonsalong with monitoring for a change in operation of the individualsub-pumps.

With regard to FIG. 5C, an illustration of a top view of the primaryconnection section 104 showing the controller 502 that is disposed on amotherboard. In an embodiment, the motherboard and controller 502 may bethe same or similar to the motherboard in each of the sub-pumps. Tocommunicate with the sub-pumps, the primary connection section 104 mayinclude an electrical and fluid connector, such as the connector 406 ofFIG. 4A. Fluid that passes into the primary connection section 104 maybe passed through each of the consecutive sub-pumps via the connector406, thereby enabling an operator or manufacturer to pressure compensateeach of the sub-pumps without having to individually fill each sub-pumpwith compensation fluid (e.g., oil).

With regard to FIG. 6A-6C, illustrations of the secondary connectionsection or module 106 of FIG. 1A are shown. FIG. 6A is an illustrationof the secondary connection section or module (SCM) 106, and as with theprimary connection module 104, the secondary connection module 106 mayinclude a controller 602 positioned on a motherboard or PCB that may beconfigured to control up to 12 sub-pumps plus a secondary connectionsection 106. In operation, however, the controllers 502 and 602 wouldsplit controlling different ones of the sub-modules on the pump. Thecontroller 602 may provide for the same or similar functions as theprimary connection module, such as automatically sensing how manysub-pumps 108 (FIG. 1) are connected. The controller 602 may include aprocessing unit and other electronics (not shown) that may be configuredto communicate with and control or coordinate operation of the sub-pumps108. Other functionality of the primary connection section 104 may besupported by the secondary connection section 106, as well. As shown inFIG. 6B, the secondary connection section 106 may include an aux returnpressure sensor 604, aux pressure sensor 606, and a com/seawaterpressure sensor 608.

The secondary connection section 106 may be used when the pump isconfigured to operate with two different aux media simultaneously. Byinstalling the secondary connection section 106 to enable splitting thepump between the pump sections (e.g., four sub-pumps 108 a-108 d operateto pump independent of four sub-pumps 108 e-108 h), the pump isconfigured with two completely independent circuits with separate flowand pressure controls. In an embodiment, controlling the primary andsecondary connection sections 104 and 106 may be performed remotely,such as via a graphical user interface on a ship or elsewhere. Byproducing two flow and pressure controls, the pump may be used to drivetwo fluids for performing two different functions.

Moreover, the secondary connection section 106 may measure aux pressureand return pressure on media 2, and provide feedback to the primaryconnection section 104. The secondary connection section 106 may alsohave a connector for two optional external flowmeters, one analog thatoperates between 4-20 mA and/or two digital flowmeters. As shown in FIG.6C, a motherboard 610 on which a controller may be operating is shown tobe located in a center top area of the secondary connection section 106.The motherboard 610 and controller may be the same or similar to themotherboard and controller of the sub-pumps, as previously described. Ofcourse, the controller may be configured in a manner that is the same orsimilar to that of the primary connection section 104, but function toprovide for aux control functionality.

With regard to FIGS. 7A and 7B, illustrations of a pump 700 withsub-pumps 702 a-702 h (collectively 702) that are independentlycontrolled, as previously described, are shown. Pistons 704 a-704 h(collectively 704) are shown to be at different positions P_(a)-P_(h),where each position is an equally spaced value on a sinusoidal wave, aspreviously described. The positions of the pistons 704 may be calculatedby a controller in a primary connection section if the pistons 704 areeach being controlled by the primary connection section 104 or thesecondary connection section 106 if a portion (e.g., pistons 704 e-704h) of the pistons 704 are being controlled by a controller of thesecondary connection section.

With regard to FIG. 7B, the set of pistons 700 of FIG. 7A are shown. Asunderstood in the art, seals of pistons have the ability to fail, wherea seal failure enables fluid to leak from one side of the seal to theother. When a seal fails, the sub-pump, in this case sub-pump 702 e, isdeemed to have failed and is to be shut down. When a sub-pump 702 e isshut down, the remaining sub-pumps 702 a-702 d and 702 f-702 h maycontinue to operate, but the controller of the pump may be instructed toor automatically recalculate timing of the sub-pumps (e.g., 360degrees/7 remaining sub-pumps) for controlling the remaining sub-pumps.In an alternative embodiment, the number of sub-pumps may be ten, and inresponse to a failure of the sub-pump 702 e, one of the spare sub-pumpsmay be selectably turned on. In turning on a spare sub-pump, thecontroller may automatically determine available sub-pumps (e.g., allsub-pumps except for sub-pump 702 e), determine relative physicalalignment of the sub-pumps to be used, compute control signals based onthe available sub-pumps on a sinusoidal signal as previously described,and initiate controlling the sub-pumps with the computed controlsignals.

With regard to FIG. 8, an illustration of an illustrative process 800for operating a modular pump is shown. The process 800 may start at step802, where a determination of a number of sub-pump modules that areconnected to one another may be made. The determination may be madeautomatically by receiving communication signals from each of thesub-pump modules. The communication signals may include a networkaddress associated with each of the sub-pump modules. In an embodiment,the network addresses may be ordered in the same physical relation torespective sub-pump modules (e.g., P₁, P₂, . . . , P₈). At step 804, acontrol signal based on the number of sub-pump modules that aredetermined to be connected to one another may be computed. The controlsignal may be computed as a function of a sine wave or sinusoidalsignal. In computing the control signal, a single period (i.e., 360degrees) may be divided by a number of sub-pump modules. At step 806,the control signal may be communicated to the sub-pump modules to causethe sub-pump modules to pump fluid in a coordinated manner. Thecoordinated manner may cause pistons of each of the sub-pump modules tobe physically aligned in the shape of a sine wave.

Determining a number of sub-pump modules that are connected to oneanother may include automatically determining a number of sub-pumpmodules that are connected to one another. A determination of relativeposition of each of the sub-pumps to enable the control signal to causethe sub-pump modules to pump the second fluid in the coordinated mannermay be made, where the determination of relative position isautomatically performed. In an embodiment, adjustment of flow andpressure may be performed by adjusting the control signal to adjustspeed of a piston within each of said sub-pump modules. Computing thecontrol signal may include computing a sine wave, and wherein computingthe sine wave includes computing control signal values on the sine wavethat are equally spaced along a single period of the sine wave to beapplied to respective sub-pump modules for control thereof.

In an embodiment, a determination of a number of sub-pump modules thatare connected to one another may be performed by automaticallydetermining whether a valve connector of a first sub-pump module isconnected to a corresponding valve connector on a second sub-pump modulebased on communications signals over conductors of the valve connectors.A fluid used to maintain pressure within housings of the respectivesub-pump modules may be enabled to pass therebetween via the valveconnectors. Automatically determining a number of sub-pump modules mayinclude automatically determining different network addresses for eachof the respective sub-pump modules.

Electrical power and data may be communicated between successivesub-pump modules. A determination that a sub-pump module has a failuremay be made, and in response thereto, the control signal may beautomatically recomputed to exclude the failed sub-pump module, therebyenabling the pump to continue operating without the failed sub-pumpmodule. Responsive to receiving a sub-pump module failure signalindicative that a sub-pump has failed, further control signals may beprevented from being communicated to the failed sub-pump module, therebydisabling the failed sub-pump. An ordered list of network addressesassociated with the sub-pump modules may be automatically generated,where the order of the sub-pump modules may be based on physicalrelative alignment of the sub-pump modules.

The control signal may be communicated to each of the sub-pump modulesbased on network addresses associated with respective physical relativealignment of the sub-pump modules such that synchronization of thesub-pump modules results in a coordinated operation of the respectivesub-pump modules. Pressure may be sensed within a housing of a sub-pumpmodule to ensure that the sub-pump module is maintaining pressure foroperation. Telemetry data may be communicated from the sub-pump modulesto a remote system via a communications network for display of at leasta portion of the telemetry data, where the telemetry data may include(i) alignment of an actuator of the sub-pump modules and (ii) pressure.

With regard to FIG. 9, a flow diagram of an illustrative process 900 formanufacturing a pump may include aligning a first sub-pump module with asecond sub-pump module at step 902. The first and second sub-pumpmodules may include first and second respective housings. At step 904, afirst fluid connector member attached to the first housing of the firstsub-pump module may be connected to a second fluid connector memberattached to the second housing of a second sub-pump module, therebyenabling fluid to flow between the first and second housings of thefirst and second sub-pump modules. At step 906, a first electricalconnector member of the first sub-pump module may be connected to asecond electrical connector member of the second sub-pump module,thereby enabling electrical signals to be communicated between the firstand second sub-pump modules.

Aligning the first and second sub-pump modules may include disposing arail between the first and second sub-pump modules. Connecting the firstand second fluid connector members and connecting the first and secondelectrical connectors to one another may include sliding the first andsecond sub-pump modules along the rail to cause the fluid connectors andelectrical connectors to engage. Enabling fluid to flow may includeenabling compensation fluid to flow from a housing of the first sub-pumpmodule to a housing of the second sub-pump module, thereby enabling thepump to operate in high-pressure environments.

The first and second sub-pump modules may be mounted onto a chassis. Theprocess 900 may further include connecting at least eight sub-pumpmodules to one another. The process 900 may further include assigning anetwork address to each of the sub-pump modules, and automaticallydetermining network addresses of each of the sub-pump modules connectedto form the pump.

A control signal to be applied to the sub-pump modules may be generated,and the control signal may be communicated to the sub-pump modules totest operation thereof. A control signal may be generated by dividing asinusoidal period by a number of sub-pump modules used to form the pump,and control signal values across a single sinusoidal period to therespective sub-pump modules, thereby causing operation of the sub-pumpmodules to be coordinated during operation.

In an embodiment, multiple sub-pump modules may be connected together. Asubset of the plurality of sub-pump modules may be selected to form thepump. The non-selected sub-pump modules may be set to be spares in theevent that any of the selected subset of sub-pump modules fail.

A controller may further be configured to automatically determine if anyof the sub-pump modules fail. In response to determining that a sub-pumpmodule failed, a spare sub-pump module may be selected to replace thefailed sub-pump module. Usage of the failed sub-pump module may bedisabled (e.g., cease further communications or control with the failedsub-pump). The control signal may be recomputed by including theselected spare sub-pump module, and the sub-pump modules may becontrolled with the recomputed control signal.

A controller may be configured to communicate a control signal via theelectrical connectors between the first and second sub-pump modules,where the control signal may cause the first and second sub-pump modulesto be coordinated to pump a fluid. The fluid connector members and theelectrical connector members may be connected simultaneously as a resultof the connectors being integrated with one another. In an alternativeembodiment, the fluid connector members and the electrical connectormembers includes may include connecting a first dual connector memberinclusive of both fluid and electrical connectors with a second dualconnector member inclusive of both fluid and electrical connectormembers. In an embodiment, a first dual connector member may beconnected with a second dual connector member by connecting a first dualconnector member inclusive of a nozzle configured to dispense oil with asecond dual connector member inclusive of a receptacle configured toreceive the nozzle to receive oil therefrom.

The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams areprovided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to requireor imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed inthe order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art,the steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in any order.Words such as “then,” “next,” etc. are not intended to limit the orderof the steps; these words are simply used to guide the reader throughthe description of the methods. Although process flow diagrams maydescribe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operationsmay be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order ofthe operations may be re-arranged. A process may correspond to a method,a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a processcorresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to a return ofthe function to the calling function or the main function.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, andalgorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosedhere may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, orcombinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentinvention.

Embodiments implemented in computer software may be implemented insoftware, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware descriptionlanguages, or any combination thereof. A code segment ormachine-executable instructions may represent a procedure, a function, asubprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a softwarepackage, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures,or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to and/or incommunication with another code segment or a hardware circuit by passingand/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memorycontents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed,forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memorysharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

The actual software code or specialized control hardware used toimplement these systems and methods is not limiting of the invention.Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and methods weredescribed without reference to the specific software code beingunderstood that software and control hardware can be designed toimplement the systems and methods based on the description here.

When implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or moreinstructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable orprocessor-readable storage medium. The steps of a method or algorithmdisclosed here may be embodied in a processor-executable software modulewhich may reside on a computer-readable or processor-readable storagemedium. A non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable mediaincludes both computer storage media and tangible storage media thatfacilitate transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Anon-transitory processor-readable storage media may be any availablemedia that may be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such non-transitory processor-readable media may compriseRAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible storagemedium that may be used to store desired program code in the form ofinstructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computeror processor. Disk and disc, as used here, include compact disc (CD),laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, andBlu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, whilediscs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as oneor any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on anon-transitory processor-readable medium and/or computer-readablemedium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

The previous description is of a preferred embodiment for implementingthe invention, and the scope of the invention should not necessarily belimited by this description. The scope of the present invention isinstead defined by the following claims.

1. A pump, comprising: a plurality of sub-pump modules configured tophysically and electrically connect to one another; a controllerconfigured to: determine a number of sub-pump modules that are connectedto one another; compute a control signal based on the number of sub-pumpmodules that are connected to one another; and communicate the controlsignal to the sub-pump modules to cause the sub-pump modules to pumpfluid in a coordinated manner.
 2. The pump according to claim 1, whereinsaid controller is further configured to adjust flow and pressure byadjusting the control signal to adjust speed of a piston within each ofsaid sub-pump modules.
 3. The pump according to claim 1, wherein thecontrol signal is representative of a sine wave, wherein control signalvalues to be applied to each of said respective sub-pump modules areequally spaced along a single period of the sine wave.
 4. The pumpaccording to claim 1, wherein each of said sub-pump modules includes avalve connector that is configured to connect to a corresponding valveconnector on a neighboring sub-pump module.
 5. The pump according toclaim 4, wherein each of said sub-pump modules includes a first valveconnector disposed on a first side wall and a second valve connectordisposed on a second side wall, the first and second valve connectorsbeing identical for each of said sub-pump modules such that the firstand second side wall connectors mate with one another.
 6. The pumpaccording to claim 4, wherein said valve connector is configured toenable a compensation fluid used to maintain pressure within thesub-pump modules to pass therebetween.
 7. The pump according to claim 1,wherein each of said sub-pump modules, in being electrically connectedto one another, include a plurality of electrical conductors thatcontact one another for data signals and electrical power to becommunicated amongst said sub-pump modules.
 8. The pump according toclaim 1, wherein said controller is configured to: determine that asub-pump module has a failure; and recompute the control signal based ona number of remaining operable sub-pump modules.
 9. The pump accordingto claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured to: determinethat a sub-pump module has failed; and engage an available sub-pumpmodule connected to said plurality of sub-pump modules, but notcurrently being controlled to operate.
 10. The pump according to claim1, wherein each sub-pump module is assigned a unique address amongstsaid sub-pump modules arranged in a cluster configuration, the controlsignal being communicated to each of said sub-pump modules based on therespective unique address such that synchronization of said sub-pumpmodules results in a coordinated operation of said respective sub-pumpmodules.
 11. The pump according to claim 10, wherein the clusterconfiguration is a serial line of said sub-pump modules.
 12. The pumpaccording to claim 1, further comprising a chassis onto which saidsub-pump modules are positioned.
 13. The pump according to claim 1,wherein each of said sub-pump modules include a bracket configured toreceive a rod that is slidably engageable between at least two bracketsof adjacent sub-pump modules to align said sub-pump modules.
 14. Thepump according to claim 1, wherein each of said sub-pump modulesincludes: a housing that defines the first fluid side in which a firstfluid resides; and a pressure sensor configured to sense pressure withinsaid housing of said respective sub-pump module.
 15. The pump accordingto claim 1, wherein each of said sub-pump modules further include: apiston; and a pump controller configured to receive piston positioncommands from said controller, and to control position of said pistonbased on the received piston position command.
 16. The pump according toclaim 15, further comprising a remote computing system configured toreceive telemetry data from said sub-pump modules and to display atleast a portion of the telemetry data, the telemetry data includingposition of each respective piston and sensed pressure on at least aninput and output side of the piston.
 17. The pump according to claim 1,wherein said controller is further configured to: receive a sub-pumpmodule failure signal indicative that a sub-pump has failed; andautomatically recompute the control signal to exclude the failedsub-pump module, thereby enabling the pump to continue operating withoutthe failed sub-pump module.
 18. The pump according to claim 1, whereinsaid controller is further configured to, responsive to receiving asub-pump failure signal indicative that a sub-pump has failed, preventfurther control signals from being communicated to the failed sub-pumpmodule, thereby disabling the failed sub-pump module.
 19. The pumpaccording to claim 18, wherein said controller is further configured toautomatically generate an ordered list of network addresses associatedwith the sub-pump modules, the order of the sub-pump modules being basedon physical relative alignment of the sub-pump modules.
 20. The pumpaccording to claim 1, wherein said controller includes: a processingunit; an input/output (I/O) unit in communication with said processingunit; and a communications bus over which said processing unitcommunicates via said I/O unit with said sub-pump modules.
 21. The pumpaccording to claim 20, wherein the communications bus is a serial busover which each of said sub-pump modules are connected in a daisy chainconfiguration. 22-55. (canceled)